Back to Business: Upcoming conference focuses on helping women reenter the workforce after time away
Katie Dunn stepped back from full-time paying work after the birth of her second child to spend more time at home with her kids.
Dunn eventually welcomed two more children. And, though she continued to work part-time at UNC-Chapel Hill for a dozen years, it took her longer than she anticipated to find full-time work once her kids were older.
She eventually found full-time work in 2015. And with lessons learned from her own experience — and the knowledge that employers should be eager to tap into the potential and talent of experienced women seeking to return to the workforce — she launched the Back to Business Women's Conference that same year.
"I was inspired to start this conference because I saw it as a win-win for both local employers and women returning to the workforce," Dunn told me back in 2015. "I wanted to support women who take a break from their careers to raise children – I always saw my role as a stay-at-home-mom as very meaningful work and I enjoyed it immensely. I’m sure that my children benefited from it too. I know so many smart, educated, ambitious women here in the Triangle who made the choice to stay home with children and I wanted to honor the choice that they made by making it easier for them to re-enter the paid workforce when they were ready to do so."
This year's conference is Feb. 21 in Research Triangle Park. The fee to register is $199. The day includes opportunities to fine tune your LinkedIn page and resume, glean job search advice and meet up with local employers at a networking event.
I checked in with Dunn to learn more about this year's conference and to get some tips for women. Here's a Q&A:
Go Ask Mom: The Back to Business Women's Conference is coming up - Feb. 21. For those who aren't familiar with it, what's it all about? What's the goal?
Katie Dunn: This is a day-long event for women who are returning to work after taking a career break. If you pressed pause on your career, perhaps to raise kids or care for elderly parents, the Back to Business Women’s Conference is for you. Our goal is to prepare this amazing talent pool to conduct a successful job search and then to connect them with local employers who want to hire them. We’ve also built a really supportive community of women through Back to Business, so continuing to build that community as a place where women help each other is another important goal.
For many women who have taken a career break, the way we job search now is very different than how it was done in the past. Networking is critically important, as is being visible on LinkedIn. Back to Business was designed to break down the barriers that keep many women from returning to meaningful careers. The conference includes a networking event with our amazing corporate sponsors, so the women can make those personal connections that are so important in a modern job search. We also take professional headshots because it turns out that not having a good picture is what keeps lots of women from setting up their LinkedIn profiles!
GAM: Tell us about some of the speakers planned.
KD: The list of speakers is incredible! Amanda Lamb from WRAL will kick us off with her inspiring keynote “Lead Like a Girl and Watch Them Follow.” Amanda has juggled work and family successfully for many years and has lots of great advice for women transitioning back to work. Then we have Megan Parker, a CliftonStrengths certified coach, leading us through a workshop to understand our strengths and how to apply them as we find work that we’ll enjoy. Registration for the conference includes the CliftonStrengths assessment that women can take online prior to the conference, which is a nice bonus!
Mir Garvey of RTP Resumes will lead a resume workshop with tons of advice about how to build an effective resume even if you have a gap in your work experience.
We have a talk about using Linkedin effectively in your job search by Mike Schmidt, former director of the masters of accounting program at UNC.
And we have two panel discussions that will be fantastic! Our Recruiter Panel will be a great chance for job-seekers to hear from the people that will be screening their resumes. The Panel of Women Who Have Successfully Relaunched Careers will include women sharing their experience including returning to work after a divorce and returning to work through a returnship program.
GAM: You also have an impressive list of employers who will be there at the networking event. Who will be there and how can women really capitalize on these opportunities to meet up with these organizations?
KD: Credit Suisse, SAS, Blue Cross Blue Shield, RTI, Bandwidth, Allscripts, WRAL Digital Solutions and The Select Group are sponsors this year. The nice thing about this conference is that all of the companies there already know you’ve taken time off from your career and they understand that a career break is a very normal part of a long career. They believe in the value of this talent pool and are actively looking to fill positions with women from this conference.
The networking event is the last hour of the Back to Business Women’s Conference, and it’s a chance to meet company representatives in an informal environment. I suggest that conference attendees do some research on these companies before the event so they come prepared to talk about how they can add value to the company. We’ll cover lots of great networking tips during the conference and by the time the networking event comes around, everyone will be ready and excited to start building these relationships!
As always, introducing yourself with confidence, having a professional appearance and being open to new opportunities are things that will help you get noticed by employers.
GAM: You founded Back to Business five years ago. When it comes to women returning to the workforce, have things changed since then? Are they better? Worse? More hopeful?
KD: When I started Back to Business, I often had to explain to employers that there really was a huge pool of talent they were missing out on if they were not willing to consider candidates who had taken a career break. With today’s tight labor market and an environment in which many companies are hyper-focused on increasing the diversity of their workforce, employers immediately understand that women (and men!) who have taken time off from work to focus on other areas of their lives have had rich experiences that can make them better employees. I’ve seen things get better for career relaunchers, but we still have a long way to go to convince the world of all the talent that they’re missing out on if they aren’t actively recruiting women who have taken career breaks.
The growth of returnships has me feeling hopeful too! Returnships are like internships for experienced people who are returning to the workforce. BCBS and Bandwidth are local companies that started returnships recently. BCBS has been involved with Back to Business for many years and that’s how they realized what a great talent pool this is! Credit Suisse recently extended their returnship program to their Raleigh office - they were a pioneer in returnships and I’m thrilled that this program is now in the Triangle.
GAM: To women who plan on going, what are your top tips?
KD: If you’re planning to come to Back to Business, congratulations on making an investment in your career! Come ready to learn and grow your network. Put in some time before the event to make sure you get as much out of it as you possibly can: Take your CliftonStrengths assessment and research our corporate partners. I also encourage you to come dressed for work - use this as a trial run for your work clothes that you may not have worn in a while!
Then open your mind as we walk you through the process of defining your personal brand, talking about your strengths while networking and building your best resume. We’ll also inspire you with our panel of women who have successfully returned to work. You’ll make lots of new friends, and one of them may lead to your next job!
To learn more and to register, head to the Back to Business Women's Conference website.
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